T5 Fixture LED Upgrade?

Hey folks.

I've got a couple of systems currently, but thinking about doing a minor investment to upgrade one of them. None of it is super fancy, but it always gets the job done and grows decent plants. I'll preface this by saying that I'm not upgrading to HPS or Metal Halide anytime soon. Things are legal where I'm at but our local area only allows fluros and LEDS.... penalties are high for not following the rules and, in this experimental time, I'm going to play by the rules so that my state doesn't get a bad reputation

I've got a couple of Mars Hydro 300W panels that I picked up on a lark because they were pretty cheap. They were about $60 each and I've found that they can fully support one nice bushy plant each (I know, not a lot) but each plant under these panels have been pumping out about 4 oz per grow which is plenty for personal consumption at this point. The price and energy consumption were great and a lot of negative impressions about cheap chinese LEDs have gone out the window for me. BUT what I don't like is the amount of floor space light. During flowering it is really only 1.5'X2' each, making for a 3'X2' grow area. The space in between the panels is a little bit of a dead zone which is why I say it can really only do one plant per panel at a time. This worked GREAT in a previous microgrow situation, but I just got a space with a little bigger closet and want to take advantage. I also don't care for the amount of heat this cheap Chinese panel throws off.

My old system from when I had a bit more space was a Sun Leaves IV, basically a 4 light T5 panel set up with 4ft tubes. It worked really well, but I've grown to like the penetration and increased yields I'm seeing in modern LED technology. So here's the question: with the setup I've described, would it be worth it just to update the T5s to some LED tubes? Has anybody done this? Is it that much better just to get a whole new LED panel or will the lower pricepoint on the LED tubes make them more worth it since I've already got a total of two small LED panels and one 4ft/4 tube T5 setup.

Take into account that I'm not a pro, I do this for pleasure/personal use, and am not make of $$$. Would you upgrade the T5s to LED?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I'd say it's worth it, just have to bypass the e-ballast for the led t5 retrofit bulbs. A small lm/w bump and directional vs Omni output should be a decent upgrade for a little $.

good luck

Thanks man! I appreciate the reply. +rep

PSUAGRO. said:

I'd say it's worth it, just have to bypass the e-ballast for the led t5 retrofit bulbs. A small lm/w bump and directional vs Omni output should be a decent upgrade for a little $.

good luck

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From what I've seen, aren't most T5s around 4 to 5000 lumens, if that's what we're measuring by. I understand that the LED T5 replacements are directional, but most of the ones I've seen are closer to 3500 lumens. Where is the benefit in this?

Wouldn't it be more beneficial to get a couple of PCBs or some strips and push them to about 150 watts? It can be done for around $200

Johnny Lawrence said:

From what I've seen, aren't most T5s around 4 to 5000 lumens, if that's what we're measuring by. I understand that the LED T5 replacements are directional, but most of the ones I've seen are closer to 3500 lumens. Where is the benefit in this?

Wouldn't it be more beneficial to get a couple of PCBs or some strips and push them to about 150 watts? It can be done for around $200

Click to expand...

That is an interesting point. Thanks for the input! I'm not sure because I am looking and seeing fewer lumens on the LED tubes too. I've heard people calling it an "upgrade" so it is confusing to me... but I have heard part of the logic on this is that LEDs penetrate deeper into the plant than fluorescent. Is this accurate?

Johnny Lawrence said:

From what I've seen, aren't most T5s around 4 to 5000 lumens, if that's what we're measuring by. I understand that the LED T5 replacements are directional, but most of the ones I've seen are closer to 3500 lumens. Where is the benefit in this?

Wouldn't it be more beneficial to get a couple of PCBs or some strips and push them to about 150 watts? It can be done for around $200

Click to expand...

The benefit is that 60% of your output isn't hitting a reflector with a quick/easy swap............... agree strips would be "better" obviously, that's a bigger project ,parts list, research, etc. if the OP is into it?

Majikoopa said:

That is an interesting point. Thanks for the input! I'm not sure because I am looking and seeing fewer lumens on the LED tubes too. I've heard people calling it an "upgrade" so it is confusing to me... but I have heard part of the logic on this is that LEDs penetrate deeper into the plant than fluorescent. Is this accurate?

Click to expand...

yeah, the quick t5 swap would be about same yields from less power and no bulb changes...........